Publisher's Synopsis
Walking is a simple and popular recreation, but one that comes freighted with meaning, social attitudes, and value judgements. We are not simply left to walk if we feel like it - we are urged by various levels of government and opinion formers to walk more, in order to help the environment or improve our mental and physical health. What is recreational walking anyway? A walk can be a stroll round a small open space in a city or a long hike over demanding terrain in weather that blurs the boundary between exercise and endurance. Walking has appealed to all sorts of people throughout its long recorded history, and this volume delves into a variety of sources about walking from the 12th to the 20th century, including diaries, letters, memoirs, poems, fiction, government reports, and newspapers.
